Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lima and Sao Paulo

For one person, living is cheaper in Lima: $996 a month against $1,244 in Sao Paulo, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Lima
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Lima Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Sao Paulo
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Sao Paulo Living Index

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Lima

🇵🇪 Peru

$996

/mo nomad

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lima and in Sao Paulo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lima and in Sao Paulo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Lima versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo.

Lima $996
Sao Paulo $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,594 in Lima versus $2,085 in Sao Paulo.

Lima $1,594
Sao Paulo $2,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Lima versus $2,926 in Sao Paulo.

Lima $2,191
Sao Paulo $2,926

Living in Lima costs roughly 20% less than in Sao Paulo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lima 26% lower, Sao Paulo 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.42 PEN 15.21

$8.94 R$44.87

-50.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.04 PEN 121

$49.46 R$248

-29.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 PEN 23.52

$9.22 R$46.25

-25.81%

Cappuccino

$3.27 PEN 11.26

$2.54 R$12.77

28.74%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 PEN 3.80

$1.45 R$7.29

-24.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 PEN 2.23

$0.91 R$4.57

-28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PEN 8.88

$3.07 R$15.39

-15.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 PEN 15.39

$4.36 R$21.87

2.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 PEN 5.48

$1.27 R$6.36

25.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 PEN 8.89

$1.84 R$9.22

40.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 PEN 4.67

$1.41 R$7.08

-3.55%

Eggs

$2.95 PEN 10.14

$2.84 R$14.27

3.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 PEN 31.30

$12.56 R$63.0

-27.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 PEN 19.98

$5.37 R$26.95

8.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 PEN 33.80

$10.72 R$53.8

-8.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 PEN 6.92

$2.74 R$13.74

-26.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 PEN 3.70

$1.81 R$9.08

-40.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 PEN 4.71

$1.55 R$7.78

-11.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 PEN 5.08

$1.98 R$9.95

-25.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 PEN 3.32

$1.47 R$7.38

-34.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.93

$1.24 R$6.23

-31.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 PEN 3.03

$1.27 R$6.38

-30.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 PEN 2.98

$0.96 R$4.82

-9.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.90 PEN 20.31

$3.04 R$15.24

94.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.81 PEN 30.31

$10.19 R$51.1

-13.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 PEN 6.59

$1.73 R$8.69

10.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 PEN 11.02

$2.64 R$13.26

21.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 PEN 2.33

$1.04 R$5.20

-34.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.74 PEN 92.0

$48.10 R$241

-44.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 PEN 13.10

$1.82 R$9.12

109.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 PEN 7.02

$1.02 R$5.10

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 PEN 24.57

$10.16 R$51.0

-29.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 PEN 5.67

$1.27 R$6.38

29.92%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$22.2K PEN 76.3K

$24.3K R$122.0K

-8.82%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.7K PEN 88.3K

$34.0K R$170.6K

-24.52%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$73.0 PEN 251

$104 R$522

-29.73%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$16.26 PEN 55.9

$16.16 R$81.1

0.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.60 PEN 94.9

$22.59 R$113

22.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.07 PEN 114

$36.27 R$182

-8.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 PEN 67.1

$47.78 R$240

-59.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 PEN 25.41

$9.85 R$49.45

-24.97%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$182 PEN 626

$525 R$2,635

-65.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K PEN 45.8K

$16.6K R$83.2K

-19.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 PEN 181

$66.9 R$336

-21.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.23 PEN 118

$62.3 R$312

-45.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 PEN 288

$101 R$507

-17.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 PEN 272

$90.9 R$456

-13.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 PEN 2,488

$663 R$3,326

9.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 PEN 1,170

$423 R$2,121

-19.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 PEN 4,074

$1,527 R$7,662

-22.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 PEN 2,183

$1,009 R$5,061

-37.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,449 PEN 8,423

$2,744 R$13.8K

-10.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,372 PEN 4,718

$2,068 R$10.4K

-33.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$653 PEN 2,245

$881 R$4,419

-25.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.94

11.68

-23.46%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lima: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sao Paulo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Lima

$340 33.6%

Sao Paulo

$423 34.3% 24.3% $83

Groceries & Markets

Lima

$226 22.4%

Sao Paulo

$243 19.8% 7.5% $17

Eating Out

Lima

$124 12.3%

Sao Paulo

$163 13.3% 31.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lima

$117 11.6%

Sao Paulo

$143 11.6% 22.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Lima

$112 11.1%

Sao Paulo

$145 11.7% 28.7% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Lima

$48 4.7%

Sao Paulo

$56 4.6% 17% $8.1

Getting Around

Lima

$43 4.3%

Sao Paulo

$59 4.8% 36% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $723 in Lima and $663 in Sao Paulo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sao Paulo pays 35% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Lima vs $49.00 in Sao Paulo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $243 per month, with Lima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Lima

🇧🇷 Sao Paulo

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

03:28 3:28 AM

2 h ahead of Lima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,989,369 Capital

11,451,999

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.63 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lima Sao Paulo 3,450 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lima
Sao Paulo

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lima vs Sao Paulo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lima and Sao Paulo differ by about 25% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $1,244 including rent). Lima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Sao Paulo. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $723 in Lima versus $663 in Sao Paulo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Lima versus $525 in Sao Paulo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Sao Paulo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $996 in Lima versus $1,244 in Sao Paulo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lima but tight or insufficient in Sao Paulo. The gap between the two cities makes Lima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Lima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Sao Paulo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.